Cannonball

Pat’s fourth major-label album, and first in two years, is both aptly and not-so-aptly titled. Cannonball certainly does fly past you in a rush, although the impact isn’t always as shattering and lasting as the projectile in question might create. The most striking moments are those that find the homegrown Texas phenom straying from his usual muscular, meat-and-potatoes dance-hall country, as with the Tom Petty overtones of “Won’t Let Love” and the Beatlesque guitar touches on “Virginia Belle.” More such deviations from the norm would have been welcome—but as it stands, Cannonball is another solid entry in Pat’s growing canon.